1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to body garments and combined carriers for such garments. More specifically, the present invention relates to a combination upper torso outerwear body garment and carrier therefor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When one is in an outdoor environment it is often highly desirable, especially when the weather conditions change unexpectedly, to have ready access to an upper torso outerwear garment such as a jacket, a wind breaker, a poncho, a rain coat, or the like. However, people tend to dress according to the weather conditions at the start of an outdoor excursion, and do not always take the garment that they need. So, for example, if the weather is fair and warm, a person will tend to not wear an upper torso outerwear garment. Should the weather subsequently become cold or stormy, the person will want to be able to easily and conveniently put on an outerwear garment for warmth or protection, and to avoid the possibility of succumbing to hypothermia. Consequently, convenient and ready accessibility to such outerwear garments is highly desirable. Conversely, a person may start an outdoor excursion wearing an outerwear garment, and, should the weather subsequently become warm or the precipitation end, the person will want to be able to easily and conveniently remove the outerwear garment and store it neatly and safely away without having to carry it by hand, or in cumbersome separate bags, pouches, or the like.
Numerous attempts have been made in the prior art to provide outer wear garments having self-contained carrier pockets or similar type of self-containment members, such as those taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,334,061; 3,085,254; and 5,077,838. In each of these references, the individual is required to carry a separate pack or pouch which houses the outerwear garment when the garment is not being worn.
A popular type of carrier pack, commonly referred to as a "fanny pack", is particularly convenient for activities where unencumbered, hands free, outdoor movement is desired. These packs are generally carried along the lower back, front or side of the mid-section of an individual, and are held, for example, by an adjustable belt. Common designs provide a pack of generally uniform cross-section, with access to a storage compartment by one or more zippers. Examples of such packs include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,029,243; 4,244,499; 4,518,107; 4,523,703 and Design Patent 261,197. U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,703, specifically notes that, because of the bulk and length of coats and jackets, that prior art fanny pack designs have a poor capability to accommodate them. U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,703 attempts to overcome this problem by providing a separate, tubular-shaped fanny pack having side openings which are designed to permit storage of a separate bulky object such as a coat or jacket. Unfortunately, such a carrier pack cannot effectively function in any capacity other than to carry a coat. Moreover, in the latter reference the coat is entirely separate from the pack. U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,107 discloses a flexible carrier system for ski equipment which, in one embodiment, is connected within a closable fanny pack.
In addition to the above stated problem of utilizing carrier packs with existing coats or jackets, an individual user must remember to carry both the pack and the upper torso outerwear garment prior to venturing out of doors. As a result, if one inadvertently forgets to pack the carrier with an appropriate outerwear garment, obviously such garment is not available for later use. Moreover, if one starts out wearing the garment, but forgets the carrier, or packs the carrier with other items without leaving sufficient storage room for the garment, the garment may not be stored in the carrier. One solution to this problem is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,243 which discloses a main upper torso body garment having a built-in mid-section carrier which contains an integrally attached, full, second upper torso body outerwear garment. One short coming of this reference is that a user must have a need to wear the main garment in order to be able to have ready access to the secondary or outermost garment. Without such a need, the entire unit will have to be separately stored and carried. An additional short coming of this reference is that the two garments are always combined, and that a user does not have the option of carrying and using the secondary garment separate from the main garment. Thus, there remains a need for a lightweight carrier system which is easy to use and multi-functional, and which is designed to incorporate and integrally carry a single outerwear garment.